Artist Highlight: Francisco Arredondo
I met Francisco at a wine fair in LA a few years back where he was repping for Volker Wines in his signature, wide-brimmed and feathered hat. I remember being drawn to the very minimal, mysterious black & white labelmaker-made label of the Claus Presinger “DOPE” cuvee he was pouring. We quickly started discussing label art at which point he casually mentioned he draws too, and proceeded to show me a series of technically precise, yet specifically evocative portraits that blew me away. When I started curating the art pieces for Cherry on Top, I knew I wanted to include Francisco’s work. He bridges the worlds of wine and art like no other as he is a wine rep by day, and artist by what ever part of the day he has left after repping. His work notes many similarities to a beautifully drinking wine; as they both tell unexpected stories of strange people and places that somehow feel familiar and personal. The following interview was an absolute joy to conduct, and I can’t wait for you to drink it in.
Q: Did you study art? If so what, and how did it lead you to start creating?
A: Yes and no. Never scholastically but once I got into it. I Fucking GOT INTO IT. bought how to draw books, gurneys color and light books, anatomy books. You can tell in my earlier drawings how constructed they are. I get just as obsessed with most things I get into, but this stuck throughout. Now my big shit is breaking out of it.
Q: Name one of your first strong memories of color.
A: I have this very intense memory of being a kid in Mexico, in Matamoros, playing with action figures with my friend and seeing the sky turn this bright pink/red hue. It was the most awe inspiring and scary thing I had seen at the time. We made up stories about there being demons coming down from the sky to destroy everything and just proceeded to play. But it's still stuck in my head as one of the most vivid color memories I have.
Q: How would you describe your work to someone who couldn’t see?
A: Like trying to remember a scent that you can almost place the name to, but then it escapes you. but the memory and feeling it brings with it is what stays.
Q: What brought you to NYC?
A: Lol the same thing that brings every artist. Trying to take over the world. Also, a collective feeling myself and my best friend had of just saying fuck it and wanting to move to another state. He went to Cali to dance, I came to NYC to be an artist.
Q: Why did you choose the area of the city you live in? What do you love about it?
A: Chose bedstuy because some of the only people I knew when I first moved here lived off of Nostrand so I was always kicking it there, and just fell in love with it. It has that balance of trees, to residential feeling, to fun neighborhood antics. And I'm a stones throw from the LES or Bushwick so it's a pretty great hub.
Q: Have you ever felt stuck in your style? If so, what did you do to move past this block?
A: All the time. Honestly, I'll work within it and then just either go completely over it with paint, add things that feel right to it or try to make it in new and interesting ways that I find cool. Ultimately I still love to draw and paint but damn if I don't have the attention span to render like I used to.
Q: Is there a specific travel experience or place that you remember being overwhelmed by inspiration? If so, how did that manifest itself?
A: Detroit!! It's one of the weirdest places I've ever been. From fence hopping to seeing disheveled buildings, to ending up at a random warehouse that a dude just owns and builds giant robots for wayward traveling art brigades. The inside and outside of the Fisher Building is quite possibly one of the most beautiful things you'll ever see. All the art deco is awe-inspiring. It's such a DIY heaven, with scattered sections of people living and trying to make it, to thriving. The only thing that I didn't get to do was a crust punk show. that would have made the trip. And I ended up doing a lot of soul searching and having an art show with a really good friend of mine before I moved to the city.
Q: What did you want to be when you were a five year old?
A: artist.
Q: What did you want to be in high school?
A: skater.
Q: What were your favorite foods when you were five? In high school?
A: Chicken Mole, and cereal. Then Mole, tripa, lengua, egg and chorizo sammiches on white bread (still the best sammich ever) and cereal.
Q: Do you consider yourself more of a city person or a country person? Does that affect your work?
A: Definitely a city person. But I can do some carhartt shit when the time comes. And not really. My work is pretty ethereal and figurative at the moment. Maybe in the future if some of the paintings I have in my head come in to play but who knows. right now I'm not sure my environment influences anything directly in terms of subject matter.
Q: What medium do you like to work in?
A: Currently I love acrylic and mixing media. I definitely want to paint more in acrylic and use it to its full potential but because I'm not great at it I'm bringing in other things to substitute where I need to. It's pretty fun actually so I don't know when I'll switch over to only acrylic.
Digital is also fun, but been a while. Maybe I'll do some more and see where my digi style ends up now.
Q: How do you think your style has evolved since you started creating art?
A: Definitely has become something completely different. From learning to draw DBZ characters to painting only Landscapes when I was trying to do video game concept art, to fashion illustration. At the moment it finally feels like something that's just myself, but still at it's infancy.
Q: How did turning your art into a “career” change your approach to creating?
A: TBD when I have an art career
Q: Do you follow a schedule when you create? If so, how did you decide on it? Can you walk us through it?
A: Not really. When I have downtime I try and make work. Should probably make a schedule since having a practice is a thing right? It definitely involves putting the phone on airplane for a bit though. Once i have progress then i can meander a lil bit.
Q: What are your passions besides art?
A: I love Music, and used to play a few instruments. Definitely intend on picking up the flamenco guitar in a few years. So if you see me in the subway busking, give me a knowing head nod.
Q: Do you have a wine-centric memory that has inspired you?
A: Not memory but It mostly relates to the people I meet. I'm most inspired by the dope people around me and the perspectives they bring to how they see wine, more than the alcohol itself. Although the first (and only) time I had Allemand Cornas it did make me want to cry/sing from the heavens.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share about yourself?
A: I’m mostly nice, i just got RBF ;)
FAVORITES
Food: Mole, specifically the one my mom makes whenever I go back to visit. I can never make it up to snuff myself.
Drink: the frozen Mezcal drink from Al Dama, fucking addicting.
Read: The Anansi Boys, also ficciones
Film: Coco. Also Blazing Saddles
Podcast: Welcome to Night Vale
Smell: a tortilla making machine (the big ones) fills the air with fresh made tortillas. fucking heaven.
Color: pink in paint, kelly green in color swatch
Texture: Velvet, and then the type of textured paper that cereal magazine uses for their inside pages
Song to play on repeat: Prince - Nothing Compares 2 U (live at paisley park, 1999)
Self-care practice: Winter; wearing my fur coat, walking around the city, seeing galleries, coffee, ceviche. Summertime; skateboarding, ceviche.
Article of clothing: Boots
Saying: now that raises my hackles
Time of day: 5pm on a mid summers day
Piece of advice you’ve been given: No reason to show all of your cards when you don't need to
Wine: is tasty, but not worth this many meme pages
